Warming up with ‘Tupelo Honey’ – “my comfort zone” explained singer-songwriter guitarist Ken Haddock.
This wasn’t a jazz show although Haddock has collaborated widely over the years in a crossover vein with some of Belfast’s top jazz and blues musicians. But here it was more classic singer-songwriter and later he told the intimate gathering how his chief influences were Bruce Cockburn and Joni Mitchell. Later Ken sang Cockburn’s ‘Child of the Wind’ and a Joni classic.
James Taylor’s ‘Fire and Rain’ contained a great acoustic guitar introduction, Haddock’s style interestingly elaborating upon the melodies in a non-oblique or convoluted way licking the notes, fingering the frets, wrangling meaning from every nook and cranny. “Convoluted” was a word the 62 year old himself used when soliciting forbearance as he told some jokes which interspersed the songs very agreeably. He’s a funny raconteur and the “I’d rather have a kissing frog” in lieu of sex with a blonde if there’s none available joke about old codgers Sam and Arthur still game out playing golf waddling around made the audience roar with laughter.
Haddock sang a few songs of his own. One he said that he hasn’t recorded he glossed as being about “depressing relationships”. He even quoted a meme ever the armchair philosopher that he liked that describes relationships as “what you eat until you die” which got a few nods of recognition and smiles from the wise 20 or 30 souls who had the wit to turn out.
Show highlights included an original that Haddock told us was “about my first wife” called ‘Delirious’. Chatty and relaxed he told us how he has been playing bars in Belfast for 35 years. I’ve seen him myself at several places there: Hill Street spot the Black Box, over on Botanic at the Empire and in what used to be called Cafe Vaudeville – which had a gorgeous interior – on Arthur Street. And he never disappoints and didn’t here down again by the waters of the Erne. Using an iPad on a stand for help with the lyrics (he forgot the words a bit on ‘Walking in Memphis’) he donned his specs to inspect ‘Crazy Love’ otherwise the goggles were perched on the back of his fair head. Other evening highlights included his own original ‘Diamond Girl’ which included a funny pun that it was about someone he liked but maybe she was half cut.
What else did he sing of note? I didn’t know the Keb’ Mo’ song ‘Perpetual Blues Machine’ from the 1990s so I went home with memories of that to linger over. That’s why it’s good to hear music live – stuff sticks.
Anecdotes included a shaggy dog story about a guy called Neil Carmichael booking him for his wife’s 60th and then confusing the booker for someone else in a bar called the Hearth in Ballyhackamore when Carmichael himself, compounding the confusion, even turned up later and when the penny really spookily dropped. “There’s been a lot of weird stuff, coincidental stuff, that’s worrying,” Haddock mused.
Also in the show which was shaped around two sets was Van Morrison’s ‘Into the Mystic’ which Haddock recalled playing in a bar in Bangor when he fell asleep singing it and given the bedlam in the place when everyone was yakking nobody noticed. By contrast the small, but of course perfectly formed, Ardhowen audience was a listening one. He didn’t sleep. Nor did we. There were a few requests and someone bought Ken a beer slipped in by his side which was kind. John Martyn’s ‘May You Never,’ the mystic of the east’s ‘Crazy Love’ and more slipped down nicely.
The audience still sober as a judge at that stage sang a few sha la la la’s back to the Tom Waits song ‘Jersey Girl’ as coaxed that Bruce Springsteen sings (or as Haddock quipped “loose windscreen”). I’m a sucker for virtually anything by Joni Mitchell and I loved his version which was dedicated to soundman Mick of ‘Both Sides Now.’
So a good humoured evening and it’s always inspirational to hear a master at work in simpatico circumstances just after dark. Ken reminded me of Bap Kennedy a few times. He stood there singing in this very spot only a few years before he passed away. Recently I have also been listening to a lot of Matt Benson whose sound also sits nicely with “big” Ken’s. Big voice, big heart, big soul.
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